Griffins' Helm enjoys limited role with Red Wings

Darren Helm had no problem watching and not playing during the Detroit Red Wings' 3-1 win over the Nashville Predators at Joe Louis Arena on Thursday night in Game 1 of their best-of-seven playoff series.

As long as the Red Wings keeping winning, he'll gladly sit out.

"It would be great to get into one of these games, but I'm really hoping the team stays healthy," Helm said in the locker room after the game. "The healthier they are, the better chance they have to go all the way. That's my first priority and wish for Detroit."

Helm was a healthy scratch on Thursday, as were Justin Abdelkader, Aaron Downy, Brett Lebda and Derek Meech. Kirk Maltby also sat out with an injured hamstring.

"All the guys that weren't playing, we just sat back in the dressing room and worked out and watched the game on the edge of our seats the whole time," Helm said. "It was exciting and I was glad to be a part of the first win here."

On Friday, Detroit reassigned Helm back to Grand Rapids, where he's expected to play against the Manitoba Moose on Friday and Saturday nights in the final two games of Griffins' season.

He'll likely return to the Red Wings shortly after that as part of the "Black Aces": players who practice in black jerseys during the playoffs. He could be joined by goaltender Jimmy Howard and defensemen Kyle Quincey and Jonathan Ericsson.

Helm was recalled on April 5, and saw 15:14 of ice time the next day in the Red Wings' 4-1 season-finale win over the Chicago Blackhawks.

He's practiced with the team since then and said he's learned a lot as Detroit made the transition from the regular season to the playoffs.

"It's been awesome, just seeing how much they work off the ice, even come playoff time," Helm said. "I know before these playoffs I used to not really work out, just kind of make sure I'm healthy, but these guys are giving it 100 percent in the weight room and on the ice. It's amazing to see how professional they really are.

"I think you can always pick up new things on the ice at practice. Every step is a learning experience for me. The longer I stay up here, the more experience I get and learn more and better things."

Helm has made three trips to Detroit in the past month. He was scoreless in seven games and averaged seven minutes of ice time. He also leads Griffins rookies with 13 goals and 28 points in 65 games this season.